Orthopedic footwear.



J. MAY. ORTHOPEDIG PooTWBAR., APPLICATION IILED 00T. 27, 1909.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

florueys.

i To all whom "it may concern:

Josera MAY, or FaaNkFoaT-oN-THE-MAIN, GERMANY.

oarnornnrc Foo'rwnan.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led October 27', 1909. Serial No. 524,923.

Be it known that I, JOSEPH MAY, a

, ject of the' Emperor of Germany, and resident of Frankforton-the-Main, Germany,'

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Orthopedic l3l`ootyvear,v lof which the following is a specification.

, `My invention relates to orthopedic footwear and particularly'v to boots and shoesl intended for the relief and cure of weak arches,` flat feet and other deformities ofthe feet and has forone of itsv objects to provide boots and shoes of this description with an easily removable interchangeable and firmly held support for the arch of the oot. f l l A Another object of my yinvention is to construct the said arch support in 'such a manner that it will not wea-r through the shoe, and may be readily adjusted relatively to the shoe to a position to secure the best result in each individual case.

.My improved constructlon owing to the fact that the arch support is removable from the shoel and7 may beftted directly to the deformed foot and then inserted in position in the shoe, also does away with the necessity forfirst making a plaster cast of the deformedmember and then constructing aspecial last for each special ailment. It is thuspossible for a dealer to carry a large stock of finished shoes and arch supports of various sizes and kinds which may be combined to suit the requirements of all cases so that the expense of having boots or shoes made to order is obviated.

@ther objects of my improved construction will appear from the description hereinafter. v

Reference is to be had to the accompanyingdrawing in which- Figure l is a longitudinal section of a shoe constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with the upper removed; Fig. 3 is a detail section of another form of my invention and Fig. 'i is a similar detail view of a portion of the arch support and parts.

In the' drawlng b is the outer sole of the boot or shoe to which the heel b and upper b2 are secured in the customary and Well known manner. The outer sole b is provided with a depression or recess b4 located at the shank of the shoe for the accommodab j tion o'f-a, preferably metallic, plate c.I This su Imetallic plate c fits snugly in said recess and is formed'with upwardly bent portions o and oppositely extending flanges c2. The bent portions cf of said plate project through ,slits e formed in a half insole a. which is provided with aperturesn and is secured in position in the shoe by stitching or otherwise. This half insole extends from the heel toward the toe between thev ianges of the plate c and the outer sole and over that por tion of the plate c which/is located in the recess b4. The said plate thus has a portion llocated between the half insole and the outer sole and also extenflxsl through the slits e to an exposed position 1n the shoe The end of vthe half insole which is nearest the toe of the shoe is tapered orv thinned down and is secured to a second full insole h which is fastened to the outer sole b in any well known manner from the point where it connects with thehalf insole a to a point near the toe of the shoe. The remainder of the insole h is free for the purpose to be described hereinafter so that the halfsinsole a and the full insole h in reality form one complete insole which is split for a part of its length so as to have a loose iiap as shown in Fig. l. The free end of insole h is preferably tapered to fit into a correspondingly tapered recess in a heel cushion z' 1n which said end is removably maintained by friction or in any well known and convenient manner. The exposedianges c2 of the plate c arf.` provided with slots d, d preferably of a bayonet or key hole type the slot d being somewhat longer and more narrow than the slot d. These slots (i and d when the parts are assembled register with the apertures a. of the half insole a. The arch support proper comprises a plate of resilient metal .bent to proper shape and having studs g and g secured to and projecting downwardly from its opposite ends. These studs Patented Nov. 5, 1912. l

are each provided with a head g2 which engages the inner face of the anges c2 and prevents displacement of the plate f.

The heads g2 are first introduced through the enlarged ends of the slots l and d into the apertures a of the half insole a after which the plate f is moved toward the toe of the shoe. rlhisrcauses the Shanks of the studs g and g to enter the elongated. por- 'tions of the slots ci, d the walls of which are into engagement with the ri firmly drawn against the inner surface of said flange by this operation. After the arch support has been thus placed in position the loose or free portion of the insole la, is folded Aover the said arch support to cover same and to protect the foot against actual contactv with the metal of which said support is constructed. The said flap of the insole 7L thus formsas it were a pocket open 'at the sides andone end for the accommo dation of said arch support. The heel pad or cushion z' in this position lies over the heel of the shoe and forms a cushion for the heel o f the foot of the wearer and lies back of the flange to cause the insole 7L to lie flush., This prevents the heel from coming dges formed by the rear flange c2 of the metal plate c and the arch support ff The exposed flanges c2 of this plat-ec serve as bearing surfaces for the ends ofthe arch support, at least one of which is preferably movable relatively to the said plate, so that as the Weight of the wearer of the shoe is placed upon said arch it will yield and form a resilient support. The position of said arch support may be adjusted to secure the best results in each individual case by vmoving it lengthwise of the shoe, the degree ofadjustment being governed only by-the length of the slots ci' and d. Similarly the entire lsupport may be removed from the shoe by simply moving it toward the heel until the heads g2 of the studs" g and g register with the enlarged portions of the slots d and al after which the arch support proper may be easily lifted out and a different one substituted. It is ofcourse to be understood that th'e free portion of the insole la has first been folded away to uncover -said arch support. This interchangeabilitf,T of supports is very portant as it permitsthe support to be fitted ydirectly to the deformed foot and, after a proper result has been obtained, to be easily inserted in position yin the shoe., TheL necessity for first making a plaster cast of the deformed foot and then constructing a yspecial last for each case is thus done away with Further by making the arch supports removable andA interchangeable a support having a low arch may first be used and after the foot has become accustomed to this arch a slightly higher one may be substituted and so onl until the final desired result is obtained. The cure and relief is thus a gradual and more effective one than if Vduced for the particular the extreme high arch'support vis introduced at once.` By making the heel pad z' a separate element from the flat ofthe insole h this pad may be removed and another of different dimensions substituted. Thus as the arch support is of a greater or less height a longer orshorter heel pad is used so that in all casesthe said heel pad willbe prop-. erly positioned in the shoe. The insole it also serves as a cover or protector for the arch support against emanations from the foot; however should the said support finally become rusted- 'or otherwise affected from perspiration or moisture from the outside .it

is easy to replace the damaged support with a new one thus saving the remainder of the shoe, the life of which is therefore materially increased. Heretofore this has beena great drawback owing to the fact that in most cases the arch support in its entirety was incorporated vin the shoe during manufacture so that if the arch support became damaged the entire shoe was rendered useless for the purpose for which it was intended.' 1

In my improved shoe the ends of the arch 'n support engage the flanges c2 of the plate c which thus forms a metallic bearing against which 'said ends of the arch supportyrnay rub. The-arch support,l therefore is pre' vented from wearing through the shoe and at the same time a smooth and hard bearing surface for the ends of said arch support is provided so that the danger of the parts binding. is greatly lessened. In existing structures as the leather of which the shoe is constructed becomes soft through wearingthe said leather offers very little resistance to the metallic arch support and the shoe consequently wears out very quickly. It isvto be understood that my improved shoe is readily manufactured in the custom- :ary manner by hand or by machine over the usual lasts and that the plate .o is introdurin-g this manufacture so that my complete shoel comprises an ordinary construction in which a platefor the accommo` dation ofy an arch support has been incorporated. It will readily be seen that the cost' lof such shoes is thus materially less than that of orthopedic shoes which have to be specially made for each case. When the large number and variety of sizes necessary to cover all needs is taken int-o consideration 'it will be noted that this convenient, and ready adaptability to each particular case is of great importance. As-before stated by" having the arch support adjustable-relatively to the shoe, the said support may be easily'placed in the position best adapted case in hand. This easy adjustability has rheretofore not beenpossible and each instance necessitated a separate fitting and a particular construction for each different deformity. `It is also possineeaai blefto easily construct .the arch support so that it will. not only support the large inner arch of the foot but also the small outer arch thus proyiding a complete and proper foundation Afor the deformed foot to rest upon. Furthermore it is possible for a dealer to have on hand a large variety of shoes of different sizes and with differently arranged plates 'therein together, with a large stock of different-ly ,constructed Vand Shaped arch supports which may be combined tosecure the best results in each individual instance; f 'A In Fig. 3 I have shown the'plate c. made of two sections ,the adjacel'lt' ends of .which overlapand are slotted as indicated at j one of saidslots being formed with" teeth or serrations arranged to be engaged by a pinion k. This pinion 7c is mounted on a spindle Z having an angular free end and extending through openings in the outer sole and inner sole a. The innei -end of said spindle is journaled in a bracket Z secured, inthe Vshoe and a washer Z2 is provided on said spindle adjacent to the opening in the insole a. The free angularend extends through the oute'rsole'b tothe outf side and is arranged to be engaged'by la suitable key. Thus as the key is turned the pinio-n'Zf will also be rotated and will shift i the one section. of the'plate c relatively to the other. The position of the slots d and d may thus be adjusted to suit varyinglcondi- -tio-ns. It is of course to be understood that both the insole a and the outers'ole b are recessed to permit the sections of the plate' c to move as described. By this adjustment of the plate sections to which the ends of the resilient arch support are attached the' bend or-bow of said support maybe raised by bringing said plate sections closer together and lowered by separating said sections.

. Various modifications may be made-.without departing from the nature of my invention as defined in the claims.

I claim as my inventionz' 1 In footwear of 'the kind described, a sole provided with a recess, a plate secured in said recess and having oppositely extending flanged portions' projecting from said recess so as to have exposed surfaces, and an arch support arranged to have its/ends detachably secured to said flange portions and slidable lengthwise of the exposed sur.

'outer sole sole extending over said recess and provided faces thereof.

In footwear 'of the kind.described,'an rovided w1th=arecess, an inner with'apertures, a platelsecured in the recess of the outerlsole and provided with portions projecting through the apertures in said in ner sole, and an arch support arranged to4 be removably` connected with said projecting portions of the late, oot'wear o theIA kind descr1bed,a

sole, a plate mounted on said sole and having an exposed surface, and an arch support removably mounted on said plate and having a sliding engagement with the exposed surface of 'saidiplate 4. In footwear of the kind described, an outer sole, an arch support arranged to-be supported by said outerfsole, an inner sole partly secured to said outer sole and havin a free portion arranged to extend vover Sai arch support, and a heel pad removably.

maintained on the free end of the said inner sole.

5. `In footwear of the kind described, an outer s ole, aninner sole secured to said outer sole throughout its length, an adjustable arch support arranged to engage said inner sole, and a second inner sole partly secured to the outer sole and .also secured to the one end of the first named inner sole and being provided with a free portion arranged to extend over said arch support.

6. In footwear of the kind described, an outer soleprovided with a recess, an inner s ole having apertures, a plate secured in said recess having portions extending through said apertures inthe inner sole, an arch support arranged to engage said plate, and another insole partly secured to the outer sole and also fastened to the one end `of said first named insole and having aV free portion arranged to extend over said arch support. y I.

7. In footwear Vof the kind`desc`ribed, a'.

Vslots being of the keyhole or bayonet type and extending lengthwise of the plate, an`

arch support having a sliding engagement with the exposed'surface of said plate,and projections on said support at opposite ends thereof arranged to first enter the enlarged portions of said slots and to be moved into the reduced portions thereof for adjustably securing the said arch support in position on the plate. r

9. In. foot-wear of the kindV described, a sole, a plate located adjacent to said sole and comprising two sections movable relatively to each other,.means for moving said sections, and an arch' support carried by said plate. l .Y

10.'In footwearof the kind described, a sole, a plate located adjacent to said sole and comprising two sections movablev relativeiy l In witness whereof I have hereunto set to each other, one o f said sections Abeing pro# my and inthe presence of two subscribi-Y vided with teeth, a pinion arranged to ening Witnesses. gage vsaid teeth, means connected with said A JOSEPH MAY'. '5 pinion for rotating the same to move said Witnesses: Y

platesections relativelgf to each other, and JEAN GRUND,

an arch-spport carrie by said plalte. CsRL GRUND. 

